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All-wheel-drive hybrid with flywheel generator to debut at Geneva motor show

MISSISSAUGA, ON, Feb. 11 /CNW/ - One hundred ten years after Ferdinand Porsche developed the world's first car with a hybrid drive system, the Lohner Porsche Semper Vivus, Porsche AG is introducing his visionary drive concept in a production-based GT race car. The Porsche 911 GT3 R Hybrid will debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March, opening a new chapter in the history of the racing 911 - a car that has amassed more than 20,000 racing wins in 45 years.

The innovative hybrid technology featured in the car has been developed specifically for racing and differs significantly in its configuration and components from conventional hybrid systems. In the GT3 R Hybrid, an electrically-powered front axle with two electric motors developing 60 kW each supplements the 480-bhp four-litre flat-six at the rear. Also, instead of the batteries found in a typical hybrid road car, an electrical flywheel power generator fitted in the interior next to the driver delivers energy to the electric motors.

The flywheel generator is itself an electric motor, with a rotor spinning at speeds of up to 40,000 rpm that stores energy mechanically as rotation energy. It is charged whenever the driver applies the brakes. When accelerating out of a bend or when passing, the driver can call up extra energy from the charged flywheel, which then supplies up to 120 kW to the two electric motors up front. The additional power is available to the driver after each charge process for approximately 6 to 8 seconds.

Energy formerly converted into heat - and thus wasted -upon every application of the brakes is now converted highly efficiently into additional drive power. Depending on racing conditions, the hybrid drive can also be used to save fuel, making pit stops less frequent.

After its debut in Geneva, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid will be tested in a number of long-distance races on the famous Nürburgring racetrack in Germany. The highlight of this test program will be the grueling 24 Hours on the Nordschleife on May 15-16. There, the 911 GT3 R Hybrid will work as a "racing lab," spearheading hybrid technology on the track, generating data and providing know-how on the subsequent use of hybrid technology in road-going sports cars.

The 911 GT3 R Hybrid is a perfect example of the Porsche Intelligent Performance philosophy, which is expressed in every Porsche vehicle: more power using less fuel and with lower CO2 emissions - both on the track and on the road.